Tomorrow evening the eternally young derby between the Netherlands and Germany will be repeated again. At the latest with the legendary World Cup final in Munich in 1974, the two neighboring countries became real favorite rivals – and many a curious story is to blame for that!
Today we still like to talk about the moment when Bernd Hölzenbein lost his step for a moment in the Dutch penalty area on July 7, 1974 – and fell. Paul Breitner converted the subsequent penalty. The rest is history. But what very few football fans in Germany know – in the Netherlands, inside circles are still told of another truth about this unforgettable final game. Because the defeat of the Oranje-Elf had a piquant history. It is the famous legend of the “Krautkrämer Affair”.
A few days before the final in Munich, the “Bild” newspaper headlined: “Cruyff, champagne, naked girls and a cool bath!” Allegedly, the national kickers Johan Cruyff, Rob Rensenbrink, Piet Schrijvers and Pleun Strik with “three crispy girls” and a lot of alcohol were said to have enjoyed themselves naked in the swimming pool of the Hotel Krautkrämer in Münster Hiltrup with “happy water games” until the early morning. A scandal that caused major problems, especially for the married superstar of the Dutch national team, Johan Cruyff.
Because after the story had also appeared in the Netherlands on July 5, 1974 (“‘Alcohol and women’ rumor now also threatens Oranje”), the great midfield director had to calm down his wife Danny in hours of phone calls. In the nights leading up to the final, Cruyff slept little and instead trotted back and forth in the hotel room, smoking. His bedmate Johan Neeskens despaired of the nervous and chain-smoking star. For the final, Cruyff finally appeared on the lawn of the Munich Olympic Stadium, exhausted and “mentally exhausted”, as he himself later said.
The thing with the Thon jersey
Ronald Koeman takes revenge.
(Photo: imago images/Laci Perenyi)
In all the hustle and bustle, Bond coach Rinus Michels saw a campaign by the German tabloids and spoke of “war” (“At the moment there is war, and war is war. On Sunday after the game there will be peace again”). However, he only said this in Dutch. Because after the publication of the spicy story in “Bild”, Michels had apparently completely forgotten his presentable knowledge of German. However, the coach tried to remain calm when faced with the Dutch journalists. About the nightly skinny dipping, he said: “Not that bad. At least that way I know that Johan and the others are healthy.” But that was only half the truth. At that point, Rinus Michels knew exactly what serious consequences the affair could have for him and his team. And unfortunately – from a Dutch point of view – the bondscoach was right. Since those days in July 1974, the rivalry between the two nations has been on a whole different level.
Fourteen years later, the long-awaited “Finally revenge!” (“De Telegraaf”) of the Dutch are coming. At the European Championships in 1988, Rinus Michels was back on the sidelines for the Oranje team. But he didn’t even have to motivate his team on the pitch. As for goalkeeper Hans van Breuckelen, the memory of 1974 was still present for many players: “I was 17 at the time and sat in my orange shirt in front of the tube. I still remember how sick I felt after the game.”
On the day of the semifinals in Hamburg’s Volkspark Stadium, nobody embodied the fact that these emotions sometimes went too far than Ronald Koeman. Afterwards he spoke of “real feelings of hatred” that drove him and his comrades. And not everyone was in control after the historic victory over Germany. It was the Dutch star himself who made a foolish move after the game. She rightly caused a lot of outrage and big headlines. Finally, the blond defender had demonstratively wiped his butt with Olaf Thon’s jersey, grinning boldly. As the pictures of that moment went around the world, Koeman then had to comment: “Stupid. You can’t do something like that. But I washed the shirt carefully and kept it as a souvenir of an unforgettable victory.”
Rijkaard never ends
With all these unpleasant memories, it is only understandable that the round of 16 match between the two nations just two years later at the 1990 World Cup in Italy was emotionally charged – and almost inevitably had to end in a scandal. All football fans know that Frank Rijkaard spat in Rudi Völler’s hair. However, only a few people know that the Dutchman continued to play in the catacombs minutes later after he and Völler were taken down, leading to further ugly scenes.
Ben Redelings is a passionate “chronicler of football madness” and a supporter of the glorious VfL Bochum. The bestselling author and comedian lives in the Ruhr area and maintains his legendary anecdote treasure chest. For ntv.de he writes down the most exciting and funniest stories on Mondays and Saturdays. More information about Ben Redelings, his current dates and his book with the best columns (“Between Puff and Barcelona”) can be found on his page www.scudetto.de.
Rudi Völler himself described the dramatic minutes in his farewell book after the active career (“Ruuuuudi. My life, my career, my secrets”): “I don’t register all the FIFA people. I only hear Frank Rijkaard. See how he slowly coming up the stairs. ‘Frank, why? Why you?’ I ask him, looking for an explanation. He walks past me, grabs my neck, pushes me away. That’s when I exploded. There’s a real scuffle. I hit, he hits. All my anger just has to come out. Supervisors fall between them. I free myself, flee into the cabin. The door slams shut. Outside, Rijkaard rumbles. Works on the cabin door with his fists and kicks until he too is pulled into the cabin by his supervisors.”
After this sporting highlight at the 1990 World Cup, the relationship between the two nations has calmed down a bit. But even today, this game between the Netherlands and Germany is something very special. Because our neighbor to the west remains one of our absolute favorite rivals, one way or the other.